Known rotary container-treatment machines include a carousel or rotor that can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis and that, on at least a first rotor element, form container supports, for example container plates, that can be, for example, rotated or swiveled in a controlled manner.
Such container-treatment machines also include at least one second rotor element permanently connected to the first rotor element, and functional elements, such as clamping and/or centering elements, each allocated to one container support. The elements can be moved, for example through a predefined vertical lift, in a controlled manner by, for example, a lifting cam on a section of a machine frame that does not rotate with the rotor (support element as lifting cam support), i.e. they are movable up and down parallel to the machine axis.
When the container-treatment machine is embodied as a labeling machine, the containers to be treated, i.e. labeled, are fed sequentially via a container inlet to the treatment stations or treatment positions, each configured on the rotor by a container support and a centering element. The centering element concerned is lowered by the lifting cam in a controlled way onto the top, or head, of a container at the moment when the container is transferred to a treatment position. As a result, during treatment, the container is centered with its vertical container axis relative to the container support or the latter's axis and held clamped between the container support and the centering element. The containers are treated during the rotary motion of the rotor in an angular range between the container inlet and the container outlet, at which the containers are removed from the treatment position concerned after the centering element concerned is raised by the lifting cam.
One of the disadvantages of known rotary container-treatment machines is that the lifting cam support, which has at least one lifting cam, must be mounted, with a bearing, for example with a plain bearing, on the rotor that can be driven to rotate about the machine axis, and that at least one torque arm is required to connect the lifting cam support to a part of the machine frame that does not rotate with the rotor to prevent the lifting cam support from rotating together with the rotationally driven rotor.
A further disadvantage of known rotary container-treatment machines is that bearing elements or support elements that are arranged within the circular trajectory of the container supports or treatment positions and that accommodate functional elements not rotating with the rotor must also be mounted with bearings on the rotor and be connected by torque arms to the machine frame that does not rotate with the rotor to stop them from rotating together with the rotor. Such torque arms are then provided in an angular range of the rotational motion of the rotor between the container outlet and the container inlet, in which angular range there are, during normal trouble-free operation, no containers present at the treatment positions. Examples of such accommodated functional elements include pressing elements, or brushes for pressing or brushing labels onto the containers during labeling, to accommodate printers or print heads for printing the containers, cameras, sensors, lighting devices etc.
The known rotary treatment machines require a considerable engineering effort, with the structural conditions also being extremely adverse. Although the mounting on the rotating rotor of the support elements that do not rotate with the rotor, and the use of torque arms, prevents the support element concerned, e.g. lifting cam support and support element for the other functional elements, from rotating with the rotor, the mounting of these elements on the rotor causes those elements to always vibrate during operation, and result in an undesirable heat input through friction. This also leads to a not inconsiderable fouling of the container-treatment machine by escaping lubricants.